PUMP UP THE VOLUME
Three suggestions to boost your productivity amid a pandemic
STAYING productive at work can be a challenge but add a global pandemic and workplace disruption and the temptation to procrastinate only grows.
A DocuSign survey of 2000 Australian office workers working from home shows although 80 per cent believe they work as hard or harder while remote, 44 per cent are struggling with “maintaining motivation”.
Lifestyle medicine physician and author of Thriving Mind Dr Jenny Brockis says being productive at work is important for an individual’s sense of achievement.
To boost productivity, start by looking at the work environment as well as personal goals.
FIND YOUR PURPOSE
Brockis says humans crave acceptance, to make a difference and to create genuine change.
“(Meaningful work) increases productivity because we choose to work longer and take less time off for sick leave,” she says. “Seeing progress increases job satisfaction.”
Brockis says workers who align their job with their core values and goals feel rewarded, triggering the release of “feel-good neurotransmitters” including dopamine, a powerful motivator to repeat the behaviour.
NAIL THE PLAYLIST
Macquarie University Music, Sound and Performance Lab director and psychology professor Bill Thompson says people underestimate the effect music has on the way they think and feel.
“Music affects two systems that boost productivity: mood and physiological arousal,” he says.
“If we are in a positive mood, it can help us think creatively and keep an open mind and solve problems.
“For energy levels (physiological arousal) … it increases the speed and accuracy of our work, a bit like having a cup of coffee.”
USE THE RIGHT TECH
The shift towards working from home has sped up innovation at software companies that are rolling out updates and new programs to help people work collaboratively.
Online platform Microsoft Teams is introducing a new video call feature – Together Mode – in an effort to make remote meetings more productive and less draining. Call participants are each cut out of their backgrounds and superimposed into a single virtual space.
People slightly overlap, giving the feeling of physical proximity and allowing them to interact with virtual handshakes and high fives.
Microsoft Research scientist Jaron Lanier says early research shows people using Together Mode have reduced fatigue from frequent video calls, a better sense of connection with others, and are more effective.
“(We) observe them being able to recall the content of meetings, what was said and also who was present,” he says.